


Magnet for Danger

by SHSLPUNKARTIST



Category: Friday Night Funkin' (Video Game), Pico's School (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Amelia and Pico are Demons, BF is named Keith, Blood, F/M, Forced "Affection", GF is named Amelia, I'm not sure how to tag it exactly but it may be uncomfortable later for some readers, Just there to serve as plot progression, Keith is human, Keith too good for this world, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, There's probably gonna be a bunch of people with no names or purpose, Yeah my oc is friends with Ami so what, fight me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29745723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHSLPUNKARTIST/pseuds/SHSLPUNKARTIST
Summary: There are people that roam this Earth that may appear as humans, but can actually be a  tainted demon. Some were born from existing demons, others were forced to become one for slavery, while the rest became demons in exchange for power. If a demon was found and subdued, they were executed without a second’s thought.Keith was a purebred normal human, until he encountered two different demons on different nights; one whose beauty couldn’t be described, and the other’s power unmatched. He wasn’t sure why he allowed himself to get involved with them, but his normal human life has come to an end, and he has to somehow survive the dangers these two bring him.
Relationships: Boyfriend (Friday Night Funkin')/Pico (Pico's School), Boyfriend/Girlfriend (Friday Night Funkin')
Comments: 34
Kudos: 230





	1. Chapter 1

_Why do you think demons come to our world? Is it because they hate their own homes in Hell? Are they jealous of our normal way of living? Boredom? Excitement?_  
What would I do if I became a demon? Would I keep trying to live here, or just kill myself?  
Being born or created a monster… that’s just unfair, isn’t it? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many decades ago, creatures such as demons and angels were nothing but fable myths and horror stories, used to either scare children into doing the right thing, or entertain those that had wild enough imaginations. They were all believed to have some shade of red skin, horns and wings of the like, goat legs, oversized sharp teeth… and the desire to rip apart anything they saw. Angels were celestial beings that can do only good, dressed in pure white attire, bright gold halos, wings that were twice their own size, and brought only good fortune and prosperity.

Angels were never proven real, but demons? A different story.

Turns out, demons had the ability to shape shift and look exactly like any other human. The first demon to be discovered couldn’t control their powers at the time, exposing not only him, but every other demon that existed at the time. Chaos broke out after that, both the humans and demon being slayed by both hands. Since then, everyone has been specially wary of any possible demon that might be disguised as their best friend, coworker, lover, sometimes even family.

What was most terrifying for humans is that powerful demons could force them into becoming a demon themselves. Whether it be out of boredom, wanting a slave, or getting some kind of reward out of it, the possibility and fear of randomly becoming a demon never went away. It did mix in with rumors, disbelief, and even fascination, so perhaps it was hard to take it too seriously.

Keith believed they existed, even though he never met one.

He was a purebred human himself, and so was the rest of his family. His grandma was the only one to see a demon before apparently, but his parents both tried to convince him that she was crazy, that demons weren’t real and he didn’t need to think about them. He was young at the time, so they probably didn’t want him scared. Now? They just ignore or try to change the topic whenever it’s brought up. 

He considered that them never talking about it, was proof that demons exist somewhere.

Not that he ever wanted to meet one. Whether they were around anymore or not, he definitely believed they were dangerous creatures, and he should just run as fast as he could if he ever met one. Part of him was curious, like.. REALLY curious to see if demons actually looked like the typical stereotypes, but he didn’t dare put his life on the line to answer that question. 

_“Would you become a demon if you had the chance, Keith? Have all that power and shit?”_

_“What? Hell no. I like my life, thank you very much.”_

\-----------

Keith was mindlessly scrolling through his playlists as he strolled back to his place late at night. He was invited to karaoke with a few friends, and he had a hell of a time singing his heart out to the stupidest songs the place had to offer. It was funny seeing his friends get plastered, but he couldn’t join in on the fun, since he wasn’t in the mood to deal with a hangover later. He was a bit buzzed though, humming with a silly grin on his face as he left the group.

Out of nowhere, a sudden breeze rushed in and blew behind him, sending a chill down his spine. He quickly turned to see who was behind him, just to see nobody around. He took quick glances around before turning his volume way low, his senses now alert. Call him paranoid, but the city wasn’t exactly the nicest place to be around in at night, even without demons around. He focused on his path again, looking from side to side with his eyes. 

The breeze happened again, this time in front of him, causing him to stumble back a bit. It was the middle of summer, so even the night was warm as hell, so these cold sudden breezes made no sense to him. His nerves got the best of him, his legs suddenly sprinting down the street without hesitation. No one was around to see him or give him some kind of reassurance that it really was just Mother Nature being weird. Another harsh breeze hit his face again, forcing him to stop to catch his balance..

Something touched his back, which made him instinctively swing his arm behind and hit whatever was there.

“AH..!”

.. shit, he hit a girl.

Keith stared at the lady with wide eyes, immediately feeling shame for hitting her like that. The redhead fell onto the ground, rubbing at her cheek and whimpering a bit in the sudden shove. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you!” Keith stammered, holding his hand out to her to help her up. She hesitated, but eventually took his hand and stood up, dusting off the back of her red dress.

“It’s ok..” she mumbled, “you looked like you were about to fall, so I tried to keep you up. I shouldn’t have been so close without warning though..” she sheepishly smiled at Keith, bowing her head a bit. 

“Oh! Well, yeah, kinda, uh..” Keith’s words fumbled, his face beet red in embarrassment. The drinks from earlier were not helping his concentration. “I just gotta get home quick, I got plans SUPER early in the morning, so, y’know..” he laughed awkwardly at the situation, before sighing and pinching his leg from behind. “So! What’s a pretty girl such as yourself doing out here so late at night? It’s not really safe out here by yourself..”

“Pretty girl?” She giggled at his compliment, causing his face to heat up even more. “Well, I got into a bit of a.. Dispute with my father, so I decided to take a walk outside to clear my head. But I guess you’re right, it can be a bit dangerous out here.” she sighed at remembering her earlier stress, hands clutching at her small bright red handbag. 

She really liked the color red, huh?

“Sorry to hear that..” Keith scratched the back of his head, until a random thought came to mind, speaking before he could stop himself, “You want me to walk with you? J-Just to make sure no creeps come to you! I’m, uh.. I’m not a creep either.” As if that was any kind of reassurance.

His nervousness caused the redhead to giggle again, now smiling more warmly at the shorter male. “Sure, I’d love to.”

\-----------

What started as an accidental awkward meeting turned into an actually pleasant conversation and stroll, the two talking about their basic lives and thoughts on regular topics. Turns out her name was Amelia, and she worked at a coffee shop found in the main plaza. He would have to visit her, despite not being the biggest fan of coffee. She still lived with her father, but she was planning to move out soon, just needed a better paying job and a nice place to move into. “Daddy” was a good man, but sometimes he could be overbearing and still had the belief that she was “his tiny little girl”. 

“I just want to do what I want to do, without worrying about him trying to get involved or put his two cents in, you know?” she huffed as she ranted about her father, Keith nodding in agreement. “And it’s not like I want to do anything illegal, so what does it matter??”

“Yeah, I remember my ma’ being like that before I finally moved out. ‘My baby boy living on his own?? How could he function without me??’” he raised his voice in a typical “mother” voice, throwing his head back in exasperation. Amelia laughed, softly hitting his arm in response. 

“You live alone? Must be nice, I’m jealous.” 

“... Wanna come over?”

Damn his lack of control over his damn thoughts.

Amelia stared at him in surprise, Keith’s face reddening just as bright as their first encounter. “I-I-I mean!! It was just an invitation, but you don’t have to! It’s just if you didn’t want to go home, uh.. I-I swear I’m not a creep, I just--!”

A soft small finger poked at rambling lips, shutting Keith up immediately. Amelia didn’t seem put off or creeped out at all, only smiled.

“Maybe another time. I don’t want Daddy throwing a fit later.”

Keith slowly nodded, tension leaving his body, causing him to slump a bit.

Amelia took out her phone to check the time, sighing in disappointment. “Speaking of Daddy, I should start heading back now. Here.” She handed her phone to him, the screen displaying “New Contact”. “Put your number in so we can keep in touch. It was nice talking to you.”

Wow, she was asking for HIS number. She beat him to the punch. He fumbled at typing in his number and name, handing it back just as quickly. She texted the number, causing him to feel a buzz in his pocket. Before he could grab it, she leaned in and gave his cheek a quick soft kiss, causing his brain to actually fry.

“Goodbye Keith. Can’t wait to see you again~” Amelia winked as she started walking the opposite way, waving him off goodbye. Keith weakly waved back, a goofy smile spread across his face. He focused on his phone again, quickly adding the number to his phone and adding it to his favorites, so it was at the top of the list. “Hey, what time do you work tomo--”

He turned to call out to her, only to realize that she wasn’t there at all. Almost as if she vanished. He was confused for sure, but he shook his head and decided it was because she’s a fast runner. He just got her number, he can text her later. 

“Goddamn.. Was it always that easy to get a chick’s number?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom, the second unrelated plot begins!
> 
> I love me some demons and powers and all that good fantasy stuff, so this idea came to mind while I was writing the first fic! This one has nothing to do with the first, so encounters and relationships may go a bit differently.
> 
> Just like the first, I don't know how long this story will go on for, and I'll be busy writing both this and the requests already given, so I got a lot on my plate. not to worry, I have fun writing all these, so I'm ready~


	2. Chapter 2

There was one time where Keith’s friends advised him to be the “tough loner guy”, and have the lady want to go to you. Have her look like the desperate one to boost your own ego.

Good thing he never listened to that shit, because THEY never got a girlfriend, while HE had a great chance at it already.

After texting her and finding out when her shift started, Keith made it to the coffee shop 10 minutes after her shift started. Well, technically he was there maybe 20 minutes earlier than her shift, but he distracted himself with a book store next door. He was extremely excited to see her again, but maybe it would be better if he had a BIT more self control. Just a bit.

He wasn’t expecting her to wear some fancy cutesy uniform, but she somehow looked just as beautiful when she had the work apron on over her dresswear. Amelia smiled and waved when she saw him enter the shop, his face already heating up like a high schooler with a crush. “Good morning, sweetie. Would you like something to drink, or are you already satisfied~?” she teased, clearly not blind to the implications of his goofy smile.

“H-Hey, I did come for a drink!” he tried to make his crush not so oblivious, failing miserably. “I want a.. Uh..” Fuck, he forgot he hated coffee. It was too bitter for his tastes, no matter how much sugar and milk and whatever the hell he could in a coffee. He stood there and stared at the menu for a few awkward moments, until she tapped his cheek to get his attention.

“Y’know, we don’t just serve coffee.” She pointed over to a lemonade machine they had as well. 

“... Strawberry lemonade, please.”

“Excellent choice.” 

Well, at least she found his stupid awkwardness endearing, because her smile was the one thing keeping him from running to the back and throwing himself into the dumpster. Once she prepared the drink and he paid, he noticed that she had written “Cutie♡” on the cup, sending the final blow to his heart and his face beet red.

Ok, here comes the truth: Keith never had a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. He could go for either, but he never did. He’s kissed people before.. On the cheek and hand anyway. He was a class A loser when it came to the love department, so that would explain why he was so giddy to have a pretty girl be interested in him. Because c’mon, she’s interested, right? She doesn’t write “Cutie” with a heart next to it to everyone, right??

Keith spent a good hour at the shop, finishing his drink not long after receiving it. He sat at a table nearby, not really wanting to distract Amelia for work, but once she waved her hand to get him to come closer, he rushed to her like a happy puppy. She explained that there weren’t many early bird customers, so she could talk to him while working, if that’s what he was worried about.

He mumbled an apology for looking so obvious. She laughed and softly patted his cheek. “Don’t worry, it’s adorable. Besides, I like talking to you.” she said, a hint of blush forming on her own cheeks. 

… would it be too forward to want to kiss her all over her face?

\------------

As happy as Keith was being at the shop and cracking dumb jokes to make Amelia laugh, the place was starting to get busy, so he decided to take his leave so she could focus more on serving customers. He bought another strawberry lemonade and a bakery treat of her choice. Red velvet cupcake. Not surprising at all, but now he knows what she likes. 

“Please come again!” she said in a typically customer service voice, but she leaned close to kiss his cheek, a bit of mischief hidden in her grin. “But only when I’m here, ok~?”

He almost choked on his drink when trying to answer. She took that as an “OK”.

Keith was in high spirits now, higher than he’s been since graduating high school, or moving out of his parents’ place. The lemonade was perfect for keeping him cool under the summer sun, which made his mind wander to possible future dates. Sure, he hasn’t officially asked for Amelia to be his girlfriend yet, but could you imagine?? Going to the beach or pool, her in a cute yet maybe daring red bikini. Or maybe at a fair, showing off his skills and winning her whatever prizes she wanted? 

.. Karaoke.

THAT’S where he should ask her out to! If there was anything he could be confident about, it was singing! She ‘d have to be so impressed by that. And she probably had an amazing singing voice as well! They could do some cheesy duet together, laugh about it, kiss even..

_**W H A M !** _

Keith froze in place, his delightful daydreams clouded over by sudden terror.

His apartment was just ahead, but the harsh noise happened in the alleyway right next to him, and it didn’t end at that. He could hear grunts and hisses, a couple of bangs as well, like someone was being slammed into the build walls around them. A fight probably, but he knew this neighborhood pretty well. He couldn’t think of anyone that would start brawling out of nowhere. He really should’ve just left, or called the police even, but nobody was around to deal with the situation, and he didn’t want nobody getting severely hurt. Slowly and quietly, he walked closer to the alleyway, peeking in to see who exactly was fighting..

_**B A N G !** _

That was a gunshot. A gunshot for fuckin’ sure. But Keith couldn’t see.

All he saw were wings.

Whatever got shot made a piercing screech of pain, eventually fading into cold silence. Some sort of black liquid was splattered all over the walls, and a pool was growing underneath the winged creature. The wings trembled a bit, some black liquid leaking from the ends of the feathers as well. 

Demons.

They were real fuckin’ demons here.

Keith couldn’t stop the small treat box from falling and hitting the ground.

The winged demon heard this and whipped their attention to Keith, completely white eyes glaring with killing intent. Keith let out a scream and ran back the path he came, knowing damn well he was next to die. Why did that have to happen near his home?! Why did his body give out and drop that damn box?! Now he was being chased by this murderous THING, and he was lucky to be able to outrun it, despite not being the fastest runner-..

… wait, why was he able to outrun it?

Call it a foolish move, but Keith looked back to see if he was being followed, only to realize that nobody was behind him. He stopped to catch his breath, eyes darting wildly to see if the demon was just waiting to pounce on him with a surprise attack, but there was nothing. Taking a minute to catch his breath, he slowly walked back down the path back home, getting closer and closer to the alleyway again. The smell of blood was strong, so he presumed that’s what the black liquid was. Demon blood.. 

Keith barely peeked in again, this time seeing the winged demon on the ground, gasping for air and clutching onto its side. Its clawed hand was covered in blood, his wings shrinking and flapping in a feeble attempt to get up. He could tell that the wound it got was deep, and its strength was fading more and more as blood leaked out of him. 

“Shit.. shit shit shit…” Keith was really going to beat himself up for this, frantically taking off his shirt and getting close to the demon. The demon hissed and tried to hold up its gun, only to drop it and clutch at its wound again. With his best effort, Keith wrapped his shirt around the wound as tight as he could and gave one quick look around the area, ensuring it was clear, and carried the demon in his arms. It was much lighter than he thought, making it easy to carry and take straight into his apartment.

\-------

Why the fuck did he take a demon into his apartment?

He had no idea. He never did. He never knew why he did the stupidest shit ever. All he knew was that he saw the creature in immense pain, and his body moved on its own. 

Not having many options, Keith carefully placed the demon onto his couch, before running to the bathroom to get whatever first aid kit crap he had. For once, he was glad his mother was such a worrywart, because he still had a bunch of bandage wrap at his disposal. He rushed back and found out that the demon had passed out, a pang of worry hitting his stomach.

It might have been a demon, but he never wanted to see someone die in front of him.

Carefully unwrapping his now ruined shirt, Keith lifted up the remains of the demon’s own shirt and began wrapping the bandage around him, trying to ignore the large gash that the other demon must’ve done. It was a deep wound for sure, and the smell was practically choking him, but he forced himself to deal with it and clipped the wrap shut. He’d have to burn his shirt AND his couch afterwards, there couldn’t be easy to wash away DEMON blood. 

Speaking of washing off, he could at least try to wash the blood off his own body.

Keith scrubbed, rinsed, pretty much burned his skin to ensure all the blood was off, feeling sick from seeing the black gunk mix with the soap and water. After 20 minutes, there were still some faint black stains painted on his body, but he felt completely raw at this point, so he decided that was good enough for now. Surely it would wash off completely after future washes. Drying himself off quickly and throwing on whatever clothes he snatched from his room, he went back into the living room, seeing the demon’s chest lift and fall slightly.

It was still breathing. Good, maybe.

Since it wasn’t awake yet, Keith took the chance to actually look at the creature. The rumors were right, this thing looked almost exactly like a human, save for the small black and white feathered wing and large fang sticking out of its mouth. It’s orange spiky hair was messed up from the fight earlier, faint freckles littered their face, and they actually had a couple of piercings on their left ear. Their body was covered in scars, bruises, even what looked to be gunshot wounds, but other than the fresh wound, all of them looked old and “healed”. Their hands were bruised and cut, but one of them still gripped tightly onto a simple pistol. Why would a demon need a gun?

Without thinking, Keith reached over and touched the demon’s cheek. Dry and cold, but still gave the illusion of human skin.

But that touch was like flipping a switch, the demon’s eyes shooting open and teeth bared. Keith’s own eyes widened as the demon moved in own swift motion, pinning the human down with its claws wrapped around his wrists. “W-Wait, hold on! Y-Your wound--!” Dammit, why did Keith care more about the demon than himself?! He was going to die for SURE this time! .. except his concern held true, the demon hissing and flopping to the ground beside him, clawing at the bandage on his wound. “Hey, don’t do that..! C’mon..” Keith’s fear could easily be heard in his voice, and his body was definitely shaking, but he still forced himself up and tried to pull the demon’s hands off the wraps. The demon glared at him, but it didn’t have the strength to fight back, instead grunting and closing its eyes to relax.

Neither of them knew what to do at that point, Keith just holding the demon’s hands to keep it from clawing itself, and the demon laying completely still, as to not agitate the pain again. “You, uhh..” Keith’s voice cracked, “need some water..?”

“.. why..”

He sure as hell wasn’t expecting a response from the demon, the voice bringing chills all around his body. “Huh..? Do demons not drink water..?”

“Dumbass..” the demon scoffed, glaring with pained eyes, “Why did you.. Why did you save me..?”

Ah, that. Frankly, he still didn’t know why he did. He could’ve just left it there and have it die from blood loss, or get the authorities to deal with it. He could still very well die once this demon gets enough strength back. All Keith could do was shrug and sheepishly smile. “I don’t know.. I guess I just can’t bring it in myself to let someone die, even if..” he gently squeezed their hands, as if that finished his answer.

The demon pulled their hands back, but made no attempt to get up or move. “Didn’t need your help… I wasn’t gonna die, not to that weak bastard..” despite sounding tough, he let out a cough and winced in pain again, resisting the urge to grip his wound again. “All you did was put yourself in danger.. I could still kill you, if I want..”

“I know..” Keith didn’t bother to argue against that. “Look, I won’t tell anyone about you. You can stay here and recover, then go back to wherever you came from. Ok?” 

The demon had no reason to trust Keith, not did Keith have any reason to care for the demon in the first place. They wanted nothing more than to rip this guy’s throat out and fly away, but their body refused to listen to them. Even their wings could only muster a pathetic flap. 

The demon caved in with an annoyed sigh. “Water..”

“Huh? Oh, you guys drink water too?”

“Fuckin’ hurry up..”

“R-Right!” Keith rushed up and went to the kitchen, but stopped and turned to face the demon again. “Oh, I’m Keith, by the way! You are..?”

“..... Pico.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain does what it does best and now knows how the next couple of chapters are gonna go, I'm excited~
> 
> I'll be sure to give this and the requests equal attention though, and I'm gonna try to upload a chapter of each at roughly the same time. I thank everyone with their patience though!
> 
> Keith is too pure of a boy, it's gonna get him killed one day.
> 
> ... not a spoiler lmao


	3. Chapter 3

Keith never thought of what it would be like to live with a demon, but he definitely didn’t expect it to be.. Peaceful.

Obviously Pico couldn’t really move around or do anything the first day, but when the second day came, he was able to sit up on his own and limp without feeling much pain. Apparently demons recovered much faster than humans, so that would explain why Pico didn’t seem too worried about bleeding out. Keith couldn’t keep an eye on him all the time, since he still had his own job (he worked at a music shop, surprise surprise) and social life to attend to, but after a few days living together, he was honestly surprised that Pico was still around. 

Keith always made sure to have food lying around (was Pico some kinda pet? Rude), and Pico’s thanks was cleaning off the blood he left behind. Demon blood took longer to remove, especially when using human cleaning products, but Keith’s couch looked brand new now. Couldn’t say the same for his shirt, which had shrunken from too many washes.

There was only one time where Pico tried to genuinely scare Keith, and that was suddenly lunging at him with his wings completely spread, blinding Keith’s view of his own home. His body had grown a bit from the transformation as well, his pale gray pupils vanished into pure white, just like before. He even let his own power flow out of him like some kind of aura, testing to see how Keith would react.

Keith was stunned stiff at first, but instead of being afraid or crying for help, he just.. Stared in awe. He even reached up to touch a feather, the feeling smooth and delicate, as if it would break if he held it too hard.

That’s when Pico learned that Keith always wanted to see a demon up close, but was too afraid for his life to do so.

“I never knew there could be demons that had wings like these.” Keith said, running his fingers around the hundreds of feathers in his wings. Pico was too grumpy at his failed attempt to scare the shit out of Keith to stop him. “They’re like angel wings, but just.. Way more black.”

“S’Cause they were.” Pico mumbled, flinching when Keith gasped. “Believe it or not, I used to be an Angel, but Heaven ain’t so nice as people make it out to be. They got some shitheads up there too.” 

“So, like.. Are you a Fallen Angel or something? What happened exactly?”

Pico didn’t respond right away, his wings folding into themselves from discomfort. Keith regretted asking, apologizing in a soft tone, but Pico responded, “Bad shit. Bad enough that I had to get out. I was gonna die when I fell, but a real demon saved me, I guess.” He chuckled at that, clearly not sounding too happy. “Forced me to make a contract with him so I could live. I do what he says, I get power.”

Contracts.. Keith’s heard of that before, where some people will summon demons and try to form a contract with them, for whatever the hell they want. Demons would grant it, but there had to be an equivalent exchange for it. “So.. where is he?”

“Dead.” Pico answered so bluntly, it took Keith completely off-guard. “Killed him as soon as I had the chance. Now I just get some naggy voices buggin’ me here and there. But hey, I’m free.” He looked back to Keith, a toothy grin spread across his face. “Told ya Angels weren’t so nice.”

\--------------

Pico recovered within the week, but he made no attempt to leave. Keith asked about it from time to time, but Pico claimed, “The free food and couch was too good to just leave behind”. It was probably bad that a demon was living with him now (well, no, not probably. It WAS bad), but since Pico hadn’t tried to kill him and he actually cleaned his own messes, he couldn’t really complain. Other than their first encounter, Pico was actually pretty docile.

The one bad thing about this, is that he couldn’t bring Amelia back to his place. Ever.

True to his word, Keith didn’t tell a single soul about Pico, and that included Amelia, despite wanting to very much. He was a bit unnerved when he would go visit her at her job, filling her with concern and worry, but he managed to play it off every time. 

“You seem a bit off.. New cologne?” She asked once, sniffing close to his neck randomly. He slapped his neck and laughed like the usual nervous mess that he was.

Perhaps being around a demon raised his confidence levels though, because on the day that was her last shift for the week, he mustered the courage to finally and properly ask her out. “There’s a karaoke place me and my boys like to go to sometimes. They got good drinks and a lot of songs to choose from. So…” 

Amelia smiled her signature beautiful smile. “Tomorrow at 8?”

“.. tomorrow at 8, yeah..!”

Hell friggin yes~

When tomorrow came, Keith put on the cleanest and coolest clothes he had, washed his hair out, put on some nice cologne, and topped it off with his favorite red cap. He couldn’t help it, he’s had the hat for years, yet it still looked fresh from how well he’s taken care of it. “The hell you goin’?” Pico raised an eyebrow when he saw Keith hop around trying to put his shoe on, not even paying attention to the tv shows he was mindlessly scrolling through.

“On a date! Stay here and be good, I’ll bring whatever leftovers I get!” 

“I don’t want your damn leftovers-!” Pico barked, but he was only greeted with the door slamming shut, leaving him to grumble and plop back onto the couch. 

Keith sprinted out of the apartment, running like a man on a mission to save the world. They decided to meet halfway from the karaoke place, since Amelia said it wouldn’t be the best if Keith went to pick her up from her place. Her dad was always home for some reason. She claimed he was able to work from home, so that’s just what he did. 

Maybe one day, her father will warm up to the idea of them dating, and Keith could show how good of a partner he could be. 

It probably wasn’t the best to rush all the way through, what with him sweating and huffing to catch his breath, but at least it got him there before Amelia. He was technically early, so he sat down by a nearby bench to fix himself up, using his phone as a mirror to fix up his hair and straight out his shirt. 

He realized a second too late that Amelia’s face appeared on the reflection of his screen.

Keith yelped when Amelia wrapped her arms around him, his pathetic whines getting mixed with her burst of laughter. He wasn’t sure what he was more red from: letting out that pathetic yell or her hugging him . He quickly sat up and faced her properly, taking a good look at Amelia. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a small white vest to go with her ruby red dress. She was already taller than him, but she still wore some pretty heels to match. 

“Beautiful…” that word escaped his lips, making her twirl her hair in slight shyness. “U-Uh.. shall we go?”

\----------

His fantasies were actually right about something. Amelia’s voice was amazing.

Keith and Amelia took turns singing songs, him taking the lead first with some of his personal favorites, then her following along with some of her own. He was surprised to hear her go off on some rap songs herself, though the songs were more chill than what he normally picked. He was definitely captivated, cheering for her every time a song ended. 

When they took a short break, she placed her hand over his own while she took a drink of water. He really wanted to kiss her, so so badly…

But all fun times had to come to an end, as their time ran out and they had to start heading back home. Keith took a chance by holding her hand, she didn’t even seem fazed, just continued with whatever she was talking about. He was listening, obviously, but his mind was screaming at him to “ASK TO BE HER BOYFRIEND ALREADY GODDAMMIT!!”. He just gets lost in her angelic voice, angelic smile, angelic everything… “Hey, Ami..” he spoke up, ready to pop the question..

“Heeey, if it ain’t Daddy Dearest’s little girl!”

A gruff voice called out from behind the couple, an older guy that overpowered Keith in both height and width, strolling over like he was good buds with them. Keith glanced at Amelia to see that her cheerfulness drowned away instantly, proving that she clearly didn’t like this guy, so he stood in front of her in some sort of defense. “We’re busy, so if you got some business with her, make it quick.” Keith wasn’t playing no games, holding her hand in a firm and comforting squeeze.

The man snickered and peered over the shorter male, eyes piercing straight through his body. He could smell the alcohol reeking from his breath. “Got yerself a lil treat this time, huh?” he wasn’t talking to him, only to Amelia, who didn’t respond. “Guess you like ‘em young and skinny. Ain’t gonna get any protein outta that.” He stepped closer to them, but Keith held his ground, making sure he wasn’t getting any closer to her.

“You’re making her uncomfortable, back off!” He barked at the other, starting to get real pissed at the other’s remarks, but he ended biting more off than he could chew when he tried to shove the other way. The man had to take a step back, but retaliated by swinging his fist right at Keith’s jaw, literally knocking him off his feet. 

This guy was bigger, sure, but to actually make him spin like that? That wasn’t normal..

Keith felt the sudden heavy weight press against his back, starting to crush him against the pavement. “Get off him!!” Amelia yelled, trying to tug the man off with little to no avail. The man laughed and pushed her away, focusing his attention to Keith now, for all the wrong reasons. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”

“Or what, sweet cheeks? Yer gonna get yer daddy to save your yappin’ chihuahua~?” he grabbed at Keith’s head and slammed him against the ground, definitely giving Keith a bruise at the very least. “You wanna scare me off lookin’ like this? Humans always were morons, huh~?”

Humans..? 

Keith had his eyes shut when his head was slammed by the older man, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the man’s tongue cheeking his cheek, clearly inhumane by his long, forklike form. 

Why was he running into demons left and right now?!

“A-Ami, run..! This guy--!” He couldn’t finish his statement, the man’s hold crushing his skull with his grip alone. This demon was nothing like Pico, he wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he wanted to tear him apart right there in the open. Amelia was probably so scared, she had to run away.. 

“I told you, let him go.” he heard Amelia speak, sensing the anger in her tone. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

The demon let out a howl of laughter, pushing against Keith like he was trying to crush his skull against the cold pavement. His head was ringing at this point, vision starting to blur from panic and pain. He closed his eyes tight, the pain getting worse and worse, letting out a painful scream..

.. no, it wasn’t him that screamed. 

The heavy pressure was lifted instantly, a hot liquid landing on his body and face. He covered his ears from the painfully loud screech, but before he could open his eyes to see what happened, the coldness of the ground left him as he was raised up. Slender strong arms held him close, the new body freezing to the touch, but almost soft and comforting as well. His eyes opened to meet pure black ones, skin changed to that of a lilac flower color. Another demon, but their expression looked.. Upset.

“... Ami..?”

She flinched at her name call, holding him even closer to her as her own black wings formed from her back. Before he could ask another question, she jumped into the air like a rocket, flying far from the new crime scene, the moonlight shining upon them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching between writing this and the next request has been a doozy to my brain, mainly because my house is noisy with little siblings playing fortnite. Sucks to suck
> 
> Would you believe it?? Ami's a demon! Plot twiiiiist!
> 
> Idk, I'm keeping my energy up.
> 
> Another chapter and a request chapter will be uploaded later today, the request almost done


	4. Chapter 4

The city seemed so quiet and peaceful when you were meters off the ground.

Keith wasn’t necessarily afraid of heights, but every time his eyes wandered to the buildings passing by, he had to grip onto Amelia’s arm for mental support. None of them had exchanged words while they flew, Keith’s voice getting caught in his throat whenever he tried to speak up. 

To think that the girl who blended in with society so well, who he had a major crush on, was an actual demon..

The flight felt like it lasted too long yet too short at once, Amelia eventually landing on top of one of the taller buildings, carefully placing Keith down on shaky legs. She took a few steps back, looking at him like she just got caught committing a terrible crime. Not for possibly killing that drunktard, but for being a demon herself.

Her form was completely different from Pico. She was definitely taller and slightly more built than before, and her amber hair amplified in volume as well, flowing along with a breeze that only seemed to surround her. Her skin was pale purple, eyes as black as the void.. And her wings were outstretched bat-like shaped, horns grown at the top ends of it. She even had a thin tail that swayed from side to side. 

“I really didn’t want you to find out about this..” her voice had a faint echo added to her soft tone as she spoke, “nor do I want you to believe what that man said earlier. I wasn’t taking advantage of you..” 

Amelia was in her (probably) complete demonic form that could easily overpower him, yet Keith could see her frame tremble and rub her arms in nervousness. His instincts pushed him forward to try and comfort her, but her own instincts kicked in as well, jumping back a safe distance from him. “A-Ami..” he finally called out to her, but his voice betrayed him, quivering when saying her name. 

“I didn’t come here to make slaves or food from humans. I just wanted to live a normal life here, away from my original home..” Her sharp ruby nails gripped onto her arm, squeezing so hard that blood would eventually spill at this rate. “Humans can have such nice quiet lives, where they don’t have to worry about bloodshed and chaos and all this other.. _bullshit_..!” Her nerves were getting the best of her, as she crouched down and had her wings cover her body, only her flowing hair in view. “I really like you, but.. You must hate me now, for pretending to be something I’m not.. I’m really sorry, Keith..”

Because she blocked her own view, Amelia flinched when she felt hands touch her wings, Keith somewhat forcing them open to look at her. “So what??”

Amelia’s eyes widened to his response, flinching again when Keith suddenly grabbed her hands and rubbed his thumbs against her. “I don’t care that you’re a demon! You saved me from an ACTUAL monster! Not to mention that you live as a human so easily BECAUSE you’re not a monster! You look so content when working, you laugh at all my stupid jokes, you text me just as much as I text you, you..” Keith had to take a breath after rambling like that, his face completely flushed at his next thought. “You’re wonderful, Ami..this whole time, I’ve wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend, and I wanted to kiss you until I couldn’t breathe anymore. Now?” He raised his hands to cup her cheeks, wiping away the tears that started to form from her eyes. “I really.. REALLY want to kiss you..” 

And he did just that, leaning close to kiss her plump, soft, delicate lips. His fantasies were NOTHING compared to the real deal, especially when she actually started to kiss back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her skin may have been cold, but his lips were on fire right now. He could get addicted to this.

Amelia eventually pulled back from the kiss, laughing a bit when she noticed Keith trying to follow her to keep the kiss going. “So, me being a demon.. You aren’t scared of me, or disgusted?” 

“You kiddin’? You look absolutely breath-taking..! I was always told that demons looked like some weird red imps, but you?” He traced his hands along her wings and lost his hand in her hair. “You’re beautiful, both as a human AND as a demon. To think there were different beautiful demons out there..”

“Different?”

.. shit.

Keith’s body froze when she stood back up, her stature completely towering his own. She didn’t appear upset, but the atmosphere definitely turned serious for a different reason. “I had a feeling from before, when you smelled a bit different.. I couldn’t say anything before because it would raise suspicion on myself, but it was traces of another demon, wasn’t it?”

“I-I, uh..” Keith wasn’t sure why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He wasn’t cheating on her or anything, they just started becoming an official couple.. Wait no, that still implied he did stuff behind her back. Noticing his fear, Amelia reached down to hold Keith’s hands again, helping him relax just a bit. “.. yeah, he appeared near my apartment building. He was gonna bleed out, and.. I don’t know why, but I helped him recover. He’s been staying at my place since then..”

“You saved a demon? Keith..” 

“It was out of habit, y’know? He was in a lot of pain, I couldn’t help but try and get him healed--”

Amelia leaned down and kissed Keith’s forehead, smiling her usual warm smile. “You’re truly a good guy, Keith.. It was very dangerous to do, but if you’re still here, then perhaps he’s not a bad demon himself.” She stood silent for a moment before squeezing his hands. “May I meet him?”

\----------

Keith could get used to flying like this, even though in usual situations, the guy would be carrying the girl bridal style. He’s only gone on a plane twice for family vacations, and they were too uncomfortable and long to enjoy. He felt secure in Amelia’s hold though, and the breeze felt so nice against his body. He was caught staring at Amelia’s face more than once, causing her to blush every time. 

Oh the tables have turned.

Making sure the coast was clear, Keith and Amelia quickly went through one of his open windows, Amelia having to shrink her form and wings a bit in order to fit through properly. The apartment was dark in the living room, Pico nowhere to be found, but Keith was able to hear water running in the bathroom nearby. Amelia noticed a feather on the ground and picked it up, feeling the smooth texture. “The color has faded..” she mumbled, trying to think of the type of demon Pico would be.

“Make yourself at home! Lemme try and get Pico. That’s the demon’s name.” Keith smiled and quickly turned.. Too quickly. He ended up tripping over himself, face planting onto the ground with a loud “GHK!!” 

“Keith?!” Amelia rushed to his side, holding his arms to help him up. He was reminded of his earlier head wound by the sheering pain rushing through his skull, making him groan in pain. God damn drunk demon bastard…

Both of them were too distracted to react fast enough to the sudden wind, Amelia getting flung into the wall. 

“A-Ami-!!” Keith cried out when he heard the harsh _thud_ against the wall, turning back to see a familiar pair of “angel” wings. Pico was pinning Amelia by the throat against the wall with just one arm, both of them hissing at each other in aggression. “Pico, get off her!” Keith forced himself up and grabbed at Pico’s leg, trying to pull him away from her, but he was too damn strong. Pico easily kicked him away, making him fall to the ground again, but that was a mistake to do in front of Amelia, as she used her tail to wring around Pico’s own neck, choking as hard as she could. 

Pico tried to bite and claw at the tails with his free hand, but even with the new cuts, Amelia wasn’t letting go. His grip started to weaken and his vision blurred as he gasped for air, wings fluttering to keep himself up. After she was able to breathe again, Amelia forced Pico down to the ground, holding him by his arms. Keith also took the chance to climb on top of the demon’s body, hoping his body weight would at least be enough to hold him down.

“Calm down, Pico! She’s not a bad demon! This is the girl I was telling you about before, remember??” Keith nervously smiled as Pico came back to his senses, still trying to fight back and hiss at Amelia. 

“You never said she was a demon, dipshit!” Pico growled at him, now noticing the blood on Keith’s clothes. “Did she do that..? Did you do that, fuckin’ bitch?!” He tried his damndest to bite the shit out of her arm, but Amelia always made sure to be out of reach, not answering his questions.

“Stop it! This is DEMON blood, not mine! She saved me!” Keith grabbed at Pico’s face and forced the other to look at him, the panic he felt making his head spin in the worst way. “She’s not here to hurt you nor me, so please calm down! Ok?! I’m fine, ok?!”

Pico didn’t stop growling through sharp fangs, but his strength did seem to slowly weaken, wings relaxing and his muscles becoming less and less tense. He could fight Amelia, even though she was stronger than he thought, but Keith was just going to be in the way. They weren’t going to let him go at this rate. When it seemed like he finally gave up, Keith nodded to Amelia and touched her hands, wanting her to let go. She hesitated, but decided to trust him, slipping her hands away from Pico’s arms.

They weren’t expecting Pico to sit straight up and hug Keith close to him, wings covering them in a protective manner. “P-Pico?!” Keith’s face turned flushed from the strong hold, but Pico only kept his glare on Amelia.

“What does that old bastard want with Keith?” Pico demanded.

“Old bastard? What are you--” Keith’s question was cut off by a sudden gust of wind, presumably from Amelia’s irritation.

“Nothing. He doesn’t even know about Keith.” she answered, trying to reach for Keith, but getting her hand swatted away. 

“Bullshit. You’re his fuckin’ daughter. I’ve seen you before, back when I used to work with him. He HAS to want something.” So they were talking about her father.. That’s right, if Amelia was a demon, then obviously her parents were too.

“I don’t work for him, nor would I ever! I’m with Keith because I WANT to be with him! How can I know the same for you?!” 

“Guys , please..” Keith tried to wiggle out of Pico’s hold, succeeding in only getting a bit more room to breathe, but not actually escape. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about, but stop this, ok? No one has to hurt or be this protective of me!” He turned his attention to Pico, “I didn’t know Ami was a demon until today, when someone attacked me. If she really wanted to do something bad to me, she woulda done something by now, right?? Same for Pico!” He spoke to Amelia now. “He had every opportunity to kill me or do whatever shit thing demons may do, but he didn’t! There’s no danger around here! So can we just.. Calm down?”

The living room never felt so uncomfortably cold, both demons sitting in silence. Keith eventually felt Pico’s grip loosen, finally letting him free. Neither demon made any movement towards him after he adjusted himself. He sighed in relief and rubbed his head, he had to forcibly ignore the headache he had right now.

“Ok, let’s do this quick..” Keith pointed from Amelia to Pico. “Ami, this is Pico, my roommate and.. Friend.” It hit him just then that they never established the kind of relationship they had, but Pico didn’t say anything, so Keith guessed it was ok to say that. “Pico, this is Amelia, my new girlfriend.” He blushed a bit at that sentence, but he shook that off quickly. “Both of you are demons, but I’m not scared of you guys, because I know you both wouldn’t hurt me. Therefore, neither of you have to worry about my safety when it comes between us. Got it?”

Again, neither demon said a word. Keith worried that they might not get along because of first impressions, or worse, try to fight each other again.. But Amelia took a moment to hold her hand out to Pico, her demeanor calm. “Thank you for watching over Keith, it’s genuinely nice to meet you.” 

“... I didn’t watch over him.” Pico mumbled, but he did take her hand and give a small handshake. “Sorry for.. Y’know. Hurting you and shit.”

“It’s ok, I can kinda understand. You thought Keith was hurt, didn’t you?” Pico flinched and looked away, confirming Amelia’s theory. She smiled, for real this time. 

As if one que, both demons reverted back to normal human forms, Amelia fixing her hair, and Pico’s one wing tucking into itself. Keith sighed in relief, standing up from his spot and heading towards the bathroom. “Imma get some advil or something, my brain is killing me. I’ll be right back!” He waved them off, leaving the demons in a somewhat awkward state.

“.... You’re really his girlfriend, huh?”

“Now I am. Is that a problem?”

“No. Why the fuck would I care?”

“Well.. you WERE hugging him kinda close just a moment ago--”

“I take back my apology.”

“That’s rude!”

Dammit, Keith could hear them from here, face heating up in embarrassment. His life was going to be normal anymore, was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for posting it last night, but sleep hit me out of nowhere. Which makes sense, since it was 2 am
> 
> I may draw their demon forms at some point, just need the right focus on it. Feels like I can only focus on either writing or drawing, and right now, writing is more fun lmao


	5. Chapter 5

"Keith, are you feeling alright? You look like you haven't slept well."

"Haa?" Keith looked up to his manager, the bags under his eyes looking like luggage at this point. "Nah nah, I'm good! Just been becoming a night owl lately, I'll try and fix that.." He waved his hands at them, trying to brush off his sleep situation. His manager didn't believe him, but they decided not to pry and let him work. He sighed and finished cleaning up the cashier counter.

It's not that he liked being tired during the day, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't hang out with Amelia at her job as much as before, but that didn't mean he wasn't spending time with her at all. Nope, night time was demon time, and they would spend most of their time flying in the air and going to random spots he wouldn't be able to reach from just walking. He could hang out with her normally, doing normal human activities, but…

Her demon form was HELL of a lot more exciting than doing boring human stuff.

Being able to fly wherever they wanted, going as fast as a roller coaster, flying just above some river, seeing the cool wind brush away her beautiful hair to show her beautiful smile.. how lucky was he to have someone like her love him like this? 

But… 

_"I wish I had wings of my own. That way, I could be the one carrying you every once in a while, it'd be so cool!"_

_"Hehe, it would.. too bad you don't have any, since you're human. Only if you-..."_

_"Hm?"_

_"... no, it's nothing."_

Keith's mind wandered to that short conversation they had the night before, remembering the grimace expression Amelia had on her face. She was quick to change the topic afterwards, but seeing her upset in any way always bugged him. Not to mention, there was still a couple of demon-related stuff he didn't know about, and Amelia was never one to talk about it. Being in demon form was the closest thing she was willing to do around him, but she never talked about her heritage or previous lifestyle.

That's it. He was talking to Pico after work.

\-----

"A contract. That's what she was gonna say." 

Keith didn't expect such a direct answer from Pico. Pico was playing one of Keith's shooter games, while Keith helped groom his wings, sitting behind the other on the couch and brushing the ruffled feathers. "Contract.. like, she would give me power, but I would be her slave, right?" Keith questioned.

"If that's what she felt was a 'fair' deal, then yeah." Keith let out a soft "huh?", clearly still confused as before. Pico shot the last guy and won the game, putting his controller down and groaning. "It's not so much as slave labor, as it is giving somethin' of equal value. You want power? Gotta pay for it. Want your crush to love you? Give up something else you love. Want someone dead? Gotta lose a limb or two. So on and so forth." Pico's wings suddenly retracted back into his back in order for him to lean against Keith's legs.

"Don't ever form a contract. Not even with her."

Keith blinked and nervously laughed at the other's comment, but Pico didn't look amused. "C'mon.. I mean, I wasn't planning to, but.. with any demon TO make a contract with, she would be the safest bet, right? She wouldn't hurt me--"

"She would."

"Wh-.. how can you be so sure?!"

"Because that's where the power to make the contracts happen work, dipshit." He reached over and flicked Keith's nose. "She wouldn't WANT to hurt you, but she would HAVE to, if she was to make whatever wish you want come true. Demons aren't genies, can't just grant 3 free wishes."

Oh. That made sense. Keith felt a chill just from trying to imagine what he would have to give up just to get wings. That's why Amelia looked so upset from the thought of it. Did she ever have to fulfill contracts? How many? ".. have you done that before? Other than with that demon that made you.. y'know."

"Never. And I don't plan to. Too much of a hassle, and I don't find it fun to give somebody what they want, for something I don't give a shit about." Pico grabbed at Keith's shirt collar and pulled him closer, their faces inches away. "Don't get any ideas, fuckboy. No contracts, even if she offers the world to you. Got it?"

Keith felt his face heat up, slowly nodding in response. "Y-Yeah, I won't.."

Pico kept him there for a minute too long, looking as if he was questioning what to do next, staring into Keith's wide dark eyes.. then pushed him away, moving forward and back to his game. Neither of them realized that they had held a breath back during that time.

"Good boy."

\-----

So much for fixing his sleep schedule.

Keith paced around the usual bench that they always met up at, since that was always the safest meeting spot. Nobody came by here at night, there was no way he could pick her up from her place, and the few times she came to his, Pico was still a bit on edge about her. He explained it was because of her family name, not her herself, but just to avoid any confrontation, they decided to just meet at the spot outside.

Keith tried to do some research on demons and contracts and whatnot, but he felt like he couldn't trust any of the info he saw. All demons had some goat-type features: wrong. All demons either came from Hell, or were humans formed from contracts: wrong. All demons exist to bring chaos and destruction: wrong. 

Amelia and Pico were proof alone that this was all bullshit, according to Keith.

A familiar gust of wind brushed behind Keith, and his energy rose up even higher than its current level once he saw her land. Amelia, however, kept herself distracted with brushing her hair, looking away from her boyfriend from uneasiness. "Ami? What's wrong?" Keith reached over to touch her hip, feeling her flinch and shiver a bit. 

She looked.. scared.

Amelia shook her head and forced a smile, crouching down to meet Keith's level, eye to eye, and kissed his lips softly. "I know where I want to go tonight, if that's alright.." her voice was low, almost a whisper. Seeing her so close and serious caused him to blush already, only able to nod in response. She kissed him again and stood up, picking him up in their usual fashion and shot up to the air, Keith's warmth pressed against her chilled body.

Something had to have happened earlier, Amelia was too quiet, too focused on wherever she wanted to go. When Keith tried to ask her a question or get her attention, she ignored him, only responding with, "We'll talk once we get there, sweetie..". The pit in Keith's stomach grew more and more with each passing minutes, his mind racing to all the bad theories he could come up with. 

She wants to break up.

She wanted to make him a slave.

She doesn't love him anymore.

He needed this location to come faster, he was going to make himself break down from his stupid anxious brain. There's no way none of that was true. It was just his stupid brain making him think stupid things. That's it.

…….  
They finally landed.

As expected, they landed somewhere that gave them a wide horizon view, but it was different from the usual city. Nothing in front of them seemed familiar to Keith, like it was a new place all together. He couldn't see many buildings or city-life around, and it seemed more like areas to explore or travel in. 

It would've been a pretty view, had the situation not scare the shit out of him right now.

"Remember when you said you would like wings, Keith?" Amelia finally broke the silence after helping him down, sitting down next to him and gazing at the view. "I can grant that for you. There would just be a.. price, that you'd have to pay."

A contract. She was hinting at a contract. Keith hesitated for a moment before answering, "What kind of price..?"

Amelia forced her gaze forward, not even wanting to look over at her concerned boyfriend. "Well.. you would have to become my slave. Whatever I told you to do, you'd have no choice but to listen." A typical trade, something that everyone believed was the standard trade between all demon and human contracts. "I wouldn't make you do anything terrible though! I would still treat you the same as I always have, that's a promise." 

"I don't get it though. Why all of a sudden?" Keith couldn't focus on the view, but he also couldn't break Amelia's focus either. Her expression strained, it looked like her smile was physically hurting her face. 

".. wouldn't it be nice, though? Flying away, traveling to new places, just.. being anywhere BUT here..?" Her demeanor finally began to crumble, her entire frame visibly trembling. Keith's instincts came in to hug her tight, but it wasn't relaxing either of them.

"... my parents found out about us.. I don't know how, but.." her demon form started to fade, her pure black eyes slowly turning back to normal. "If I don't make you my slave, they said they're going to make your life a living hell.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel slow with updates now, I've gotten too used to putting multiple chapters up in one day. Oops
> 
> Requests are being done, and I'm probably going to add ANOTHER short story thingy, but just for my personal ideas for fnf. Tbh I'm only focused so hard on fnf because I love the trio concept I have for them, they're too much fun. Poly for life
> 
> I'll try to get more frequent like before soon, thank you everyone for waiting!


	6. Chapter 6

If there was any emotion Keith felt at this moment, it wasn’t shock. Not even surprised or startled.

Just.. dread.

“I’m so sorry, Keith.” Amelia’s voice trembled, starting to look up at Keith as her form began to shrink back to human. “I didn’t want to do this to you, or anyone for that matter. I tried so hard to be careful around them because I knew how they would get.. B-but I mean it when I say I wouldn’t treat you any different if we do this!” She really tried to make it seem like it was a good idea, forming a contract like this. Keith wanted to believe in her words that nothing would change, that they would still be a regular couple with some.. Irregular conditions. But..

_“Don’t ever form a contract. Not even with her.”_

If Pico was never around to give him some common sense, Keith’s dumbass probably would’ve gone along with the idea before Amelia even told her WHY she wanted to do this. But it wasn’t so simple, was it? It couldn’t be that simple. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that a contract alone would solve all his new problems. 

After a minute of bone-chilling silence, Keith finally sighed and responded, “Let me ask Pico about this first. I need time to think--”

“Pico?”

Her voice startled Keith, seeing Amelia’s forced smile disappear in an instant.

“What does Pico have to do with us?”

Why did he suddenly feel like he was in trouble? “Uh.. he doesn’t, I guess. Well, kinda.. He’s my friend, remember? And he’s warned me about contracts not too long ago..” Now it was Keith’s turn to nervously smile, but she didn’t seem amused at all. “He’s my roommate too, so I mean.. He’d be really confused if I made a contract and just disappeared like that, y’know? That wouldn’t be a cool thing to do.”

“You know what isn’t a cool thing? You getting hurt by random demons because we took too long getting to safety!” Amelia exclaimed, standing up from her spot and grabbing Keith’s arms, trying to shake some sense into him. “We don’t have time to think, we can’t afford it! I’m sure Pico will understand, so just focus on you! Focus on _us!”_

“I am! It’s BECAUSE I’m focusing on me that I need to hear a second opinion! I’m terrified as is!” His words only made Amelia’s grip tighten on his arms, making Keith wince a bit in the pain. “I-If demons attack me, I’m sure Pico will help me out! I just need some time--”

“I just said we don’t HAVE time! You have to make the contract with me, it’s the only way! **Don’t you trust me?!** ” Amelia’s demonic echo started to come out, her nails digging into his arms now. The pain turned sharp, too sharp all at once, Keith had to shove her back with whatever strength he had left, making him fall back in the process. She froze, realizing too late that she had thoroughly cut through his sleeves, new cuts on his arms. “K.. Keith, I’m sorry-”

“I need time.. Ok?” Keith flinched whenever he touched his new wounds, no longer looking up at his trembling girlfriend. “I need to go home, now..”

\-----------

Amelia didn’t take Keith back to their usual spot.

She worried her parents would know where they would meet up, since they knew they were together like this, so she placed him somewhere a bit farther for his own protection. To try and ease her nerves, Keith kissed her cheek and tried to smile, letting her know that he wasn’t mad at her and he’ll get an answer by tomorrow morning. It didn’t do much, but she also forced a smile and hugged him, flying off so he could get home faster. Keith watched her disappear into the night sky before jogging back home, already starting to dread talking to Pico about the situation.

Pico was going to say no for sure, and he was going to curse the fuck out of her, so that wasn’t going to help Keith make a clear decision on how to handle this, but.. Who else could he go to about this? He couldn’t go to his friends, his coworkers, _especially_ not his family. This isn’t something he couldn’t handle alone, and with Amelia freaking out just as much as he was, well…

Pico might be the only one to keep him sane.

Keith got too lost in his thoughts before he realized a flash of red light shined in his face, stopping him in his tracks. As if his mental health couldn’t catch a break, there were police cars surrounding his apartment building, some familiar neighbors whispering to each other around. He didn’t see any immediate damage or danger, but his eyes soon met contact with a feather on the ground.

Pico’s feather. 

Keith quickly looked up the window that should be his floor, and his heart sank when he was able to see his window broken. Something bad happened. REALLY bad. Keith’s heart began racing as he sprinted to the building, but was stopped by a cop guarding the door. “Hold on, kid. There’s been an attack, you can’t go inside.” the cop warned, careful to make Keith back away.

“B-But that’s my room, and I had a friend visiting! What happened??” Keith couldn’t control his breathing. He was going to have a panic attack at this rate, if he wasn’t having one already.

“You room?” the cop looked over at one of his partners before focusing back to Keith. “There was a demon ambush. One of the witnesses saw a group of men enter the building, then they heard gunshots and violent attacks a few minutes later. When we arrived, the demons seemed to have already been dealt with, and there was no one else at the scene.” 

Demons.. Was Pico one of them..? He was able to fight, but to fight them all on his own?

“If that was your actual room..” the cop continued, touching Keith’s shoulder. “Would you have any idea why demons would enter your room in particular? Were you or your friend.. Involved in demonic activity?”

Shit. Shit shit SHIT. 

“N-No!” Keith quickly answered, unintentionally slapping the cop’s hand off. “We weren’t! I don’t know why demons raided my room, I didn’t even know demons existed to begin with!” His panic didn’t make him sound convincing, the cop calling over another one closer.

“.. what happened to your arms, kid?”

Keith forgot about the scratches, instantly covered them and struggled to think of some sort of excuse. A cat attacked him, he got mugged, he tripped and fell, they were self-inflicted.. But no matter what he came up with, his voice wouldn’t cooperate anymore. He wanted to run away, he wasn’t safe anywhere, but he was surrounded at this point. “N-Nothing happened.. I have to go, m-my friend..”

_Drop down_

A feather fluttered down in front of him, freezing him in place. 

_Close your eyes, cover your ears, and go down_

He couldn’t register who that voice was or if the others could hear it, but he didn’t think twice about it. Covering his ears, squeezing his eyes shut, and dropping down to his knees, he could only hear the cop’s muffled voice call for him for a moment..

Before that same cop screamed in pain.

\------------

The sky really seemed like the safest place for Keith to be in at this point, since he felt the ground was just waiting to swallow him whole without remorse. Would he even be able to stand straight when they had to land? He couldn’t feel his legs even now. 

“I knew not to trust her damn family.”

Pico broke the silence, feeling Keith grip him tighter. Pico had a few new bruises and a weak leg of his own, but it was sure to heal in a day or so. There were a lot of demons out of nowhere, but their numbers meant nothing for actual power. It still felt like a miracle for Pico to not only beat them, but get out and get Keith to safety.. Wherever that was. He had one of Keith’s backpacks on his back as well, probably filled with clothes and whatever necessities he could fit in there.

Both of them knew they weren’t safe back at home anymore.

The flight was soon cut short by Pico diving into what looked like an abandoned building, the entire structure broken and closed off to the world. Pico tried to carefully place Keith down, but the smaller male wasn’t letting go, only clinging even tighter to the demon, so Pico sat down with Keith in his lap. When Pico was in demon form, he was only slightly taller than normal, nowhere near to Amelia’s demon height, but he was big enough to make Keith feel like a child in his arms. 

“She knew that was gonna happen, didn’t she?” Pico mumbled, softly rubbing Keith’s back to try and ease him. “That’s why she took you out earlier. She knew those bastards were gonna attack you otherwise.”

Keith couldn’t argue back, not after their earlier conversations about forming a contract. Whether she knew about the attack or not, he didn’t know anymore. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

“Both of you took this whole dumbass situation too lightly.” Pico continued, filled with his own anger and frustrations, “Even if you didn’t know about her parents, she did, yet she pretended everything was gonna be all happy and go-lucky. Her trusting her own demon parents caused this. You falling for her caused this. Should’ve never been involved with demons to begin with..” He felt Keith softly punch his arm, wanting him to shut up at this point. 

Despite his words, however, Keith didn’t get up or yell back. It hurt, the whole situation and Pico’s words weighing him down, but it hurt because it was true. If he really did just fall for some normal human girl, not help Pico from that alleyway, not get so attached to Amelia, then he would still be in his apartment building, sleeping and waiting for the next boring day to come by. But he couldn’t go back, he couldn’t pretend this wasn’t his life anymore.

“... don’t leave me..”

Pico glanced at Keith’s bright blue hair, feeling a lump down his throat when he heard his quivering voice. He could hear Keith holding back a sob, but it was pointless to try and hide it. “I don’t know what to do anymore.. D-Don’t hate me, I got no one else to go to..” his grip started to weaken, but Pico was sure to hold him close, even using his wings to wrap around them, giving Keith some sort of protection and comfort. “I don’t know anymore.. Help me, please..”

“.... I won’t go.” Pico finally answered, rubbing the back of Keith’s head, hsi calm heart beating against Keith’s panicked beat. “‘M not leaving you alone from now on. I’ll keep you safe. Promise.”

Pico continued to whisper soft words of reassurance until Keith’s strength gave out, passing out right on Pico’s lap. He let the bag slip off his shoulders and carefully placed it under his own head when he laid down, using his wings to keep Keith warm and protected. He was going to keep his word, and return the favor of Keith taking care of him for this long. 

If no one was going to keep him safe, he will. And he won’t fail this time, not like before..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you normal, or do you go from having zero ideas on how to continue a story, to coming up with 3 chapters-worth of plot within an hour? 
> 
> Well that's me
> 
> Let's see if I can get another chapter out by tonight, or at least get a request done. Thank you, as always, for being patient and commenting your wonderful support! You guys are the mvps
> 
> Drama's coming, even more so than now, I'm excited~


	7. Chapter 7

Amelia had gotten too used to living a fake, peaceful life as a human, that’s what her biggest fault was. 

It’s not that she purposely ignored the fact that she was a demon, she just didn’t want to live a life of pure chaos and danger anymore. Everything in the human world was so colorful, so much more controlled than the demon world, yet not enough to make you feel restricted and unable to live your life. She envied humans. That’s why she never formed contracts, never took advantage of humans, and not once was she punished for it.

So why now? 

Truth be told, Amelia didn’t want to leave Keith alone. She truly wanted to fly away and escape everything, even if it meant leaving behind the lives they both worked so hard to get. It would’ve been fine, since she believed in the both of them. They loved each other, so it would’ve worked out in the end, right?

…..  
Keith didn’t visit her at work today.

Amelia did her best to keep her emotions at bay, smiling to every customer and working like nothing was wrong, but her eyes were glued to the door every time it opened, hoping that that familiar red cap and blue hair would come through. But he never did, which made her air grown thin from anxiety. She even snuck a text to him, asking if he was ok, but she never got a response back. 

After her shift was done, she remembered where his job was, so she quickly cleaned her station and rushed out the door without saying goodbye. It probably made her look a bit suspicious from how fast she ran and how much the wind picked up behind her, but there were more important matters at hand. 

_Please be there, please be there, please be here.._

Amelia opened the door with more force than necessary, looking into the small music store. There were a few wandering customers and two employees, as well as the manager, who was reorganizing one of the shelves. No Keith in sight. “Um.. excuse me?” her voice peeped out, making the manager stop and focus on her. “I’m.. Is Keith working today..?”

“Keith? You know the guy?” the manager perked up, smiling for only a moment before sighing. “Well, he used to, but his last day was two days ago, unfortunately. Called in this morning to say that he had some sort of family emergency out of the state, so he had to quit.” 

Family emergency..? 

“He didn’t tell me much about it, but if you manage to get in contact with him, let him know that I sent my condolences.” the manager continued, turning their attention back to the shelf behind them, leaving Amelia in stunned disbelief. She quickly shook her head and thanked them for their help, rushing right out the store to go directly to his apartment. She messed up a few times through panic, but she dialed his number and called, heart racing from her rising panic.

_Heeey, Keith here! Can’t make it to the phone right now, leave a message!_

“Keith?? It’s me, please call me back! We need to talk as soon as possible!” Amelia begged, growing more and more uneasiness as time went on. Why wasn’t he answering? Why did it go straight to voicemail? Is he ok? Where is he? 

Police tape surrounded the apartment building.

A mix of old demon and human blood overpowered her senses, making her gag from the harsh scent. 

His window was broken.

No way…

Amelia roughly dialed her phone again, this time a different number, and waited for the caller to answer, wiping away frustrated tears that began to form in her eyes. She didn’t wait for the person to say hello, immediately yelling, “You lied to me, Daddy?! You said you wouldn’t do anything if I tried to make a contract with him!!” 

_“Whoa whoa, calm down, honey bun. What’re you talkin’ ‘bout?”_ “Daddy” sounded groggy, like he was just waking up to start the day, but Amelia wasn’t having it.

“I’m talking about last night!” she pointed at the building, as if he could see what she was talking about. “There’s been an attack, and now I can’t find him anywhere! Why did you lie to me?! I told you I was going to convince him!” 

_“I told you to relax, Amelia. I don’t know what the hell yer talkin’ about, I’m keepin’ my word. Haven’t done nothin’ yet.”_

“B-But.. But you and mama--!”

_“ **I** promised not to do anythin’ yet. Yer mother didn’t agree to that, now did she?”_

…. No…

_“Y’know how she does whatever she wants, just like you. She probably sent out her own men last night. Oh well..”_

Keith…

_**“Can’t be helped, can it?”** _

\------------------

20 unanswered calls. 30 ignored messages.

Amelia refused to give up, flying with the speed of a shot bullet through the sky.

There’s no way Keith actually died from the attack, impossible. Not only was he able to call his job and tell them that bullshit lie, but there’s no possible way Pico wouldn’t’ve been there to protect him. He was ready to rip HER throat out when they first met! No, they must’ve escaped somewhere, somewhere far away, but she couldn’t get any trace of their scent nor aura anywhere.

Pico had to be hiding them. He was doing that long before he met Keith, she presumed, so he knew what he was doing. 

She was exhausting herself at this point, however, so she landed onto a random rooftop and tried calling again, praying to ANY God that it would ring just once. She couldn’t see straight anymore, her vision blurred from the tears reforming all over again. Dammit, she was already crying earlier, why was there still so much waiting to pour out of her?

She missed his voice.

She missed his singing.

She missed his warm hugs.

She missed his excited kisses.

“Keith.. Please, I’m sorry.. P-Please answer..” she choked on her words, leaving behind yet another message in his voicemail, her hands falling into her lap in defeat. Keith hated her. She was too forward, too desperate to make him do something he shouldn’t ever do, and Pico took him somewhere safer. Not just far from her family, but Amelia herself. She wasn’t going to hear from him again-..

Her phone suddenly buzzed in her hand. She dried her tears to see the name.

Keith.

Amelia’s eyes widened, fumbling to pick up the call and smiling in relief. “Keith! Thank god, I was calling for so lo--”

_“Stop calling him, for fuck’s sake.”_

… that wasn’t Keith.

“P-Pico..?” Amelia’s hopes sank to the ground, her hands trembling as much as her voice was. “I-Is he with you..? Please tell me he’s ok, I-”

_“He’s fine. And he’ll be better once you get the fuck out of his life.”_

“Huh..?”

_“We both know he’s being hunted down because of your fucktard parents, so we’re gonna get out of any demon’s radar, even if it means hiding out until one of us drops dead. We don’t need you following us and making his life more miserable than it is now.”_

Amelia couldn’t even respond, her mouth gaped open and failing at letting out any kind of noise or word. She wanted to hear Keith’s voice, but Pico wasn’t having it. She felt like she was being shunned by a normal parent or best friend, feeling so tiny and pathetic from his harsh words. “I.. You know I didn’t mean to have this happen..”

_“Doesn’t fuckin’ matter if you meant to or not!”_ Pico’s voice turned into a yell, making her flinch from terror. _“You wanted to pretend you were some cute and normal bitch that didn’t have a fucked up life behind closed doors, but guess what?! We’re MONSTERS, and we don’t CARE to be human! We demons don’t want to be ANYTHING like humans! By pretending to be something you aren’t, you fucked up the one person you apparently gave a shit about!”_

_“YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE ONE THAT KILLS KEITH, YOU BITCH!!”_

No.. No, that isn’t true!, Amelia wanted to say. She wasn’t going to kill him, she would protect him with her life! .. but it was because of her life that he was in danger in the first place. Her world was falling apart right before her eyes, Pico’s words echoing in her ears over and over and over… 

_“Stay away from Keith, for his sake.. If you manage to find us.. I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you..”_

_B e e p_

Even though the call ended, Amelia couldn’t drop the phone away from her ear, staring down at the disoriented ground beneath her. 

This wasn’t fair.

This wasn’t fair. 

This wasn’t fair…

\-----

“Pico..?” a voice murmured behind the demon, Keith rubbing his eyes after waking up from a shit nap. “Everything ok..? I heard yelling..”

Pico hid the phone away from Keith, moving to sit down next to him and pulling the smaller male into him. Keith didn’t fight it, resting his head against the other’s shoulder. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Keep resting, I’ll take you somewhere we can get supplies.”

“Mm..” Keith mumbled, eyes drooping in his barely awake state. “... miss her…”

Pico didn’t respond, only softly placed his chin on the other’s head and felt the other slip into slumber once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I know this is emotional and all, but how bad would it be if I added an oc into this? Obviously they wouldn't be the main focus of this, but I feel like I can make things a bit more interesting if I did so. I only ask cuz sometimes ocs are frowned upon, which makes me frown, but I dunno
> 
> Anyway haha this isn't funny, sad times are sad. idk how out of character this feels or not, but I'm loving the ride I'm making, I hope you all are too! 
> 
> Tomorrow will be a good update day! (or later today, if it's also 2 am for you when I'm posting this lmao)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taken too long since I drew any kind of ref, but Finally I drew some quick doodles of Amelia in her demon form and Pico with his fallen angel wing. He has both wings, but I only focused on one, since that's the one he always has out no matter what. Also drew a comment t1meb0mb left in the last chapter lmao: https://twitter.com/SHSLPUNKARTIST/status/1368669155088556035?s=20

“Y’know, you never told me where we are. Is this really a safe spot to be in right now?” Keith spoke up behind Pico, glancing around from under his cap and hoodie cautiously. 

“Not for you.” Pico spared no sympathy here. “That’s why I’m here. Stay close.”

Keith couldn’t recognize this neighborhood at all, everywhere he looked appeared deserted and in some kind of ruin. Pico had let him nap for as long as he needed, but once his energy was back up, they were on the move without establishing a proper plan. Well, Pico must’ve had some kind of plan, but he didn’t tell Keith anything about it. Truth be told, Pico didn’t say anything unless he was asked something, and he answered in the vaguest and shortest way he could.

Keith hated it, the silence killing him inside.

So he started to hum.

It was soft, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, but he hummed a song under his breath as they walked, trying to ease his own nerves from the anxiety he was sure to have forever now. He almost felt pathetic doing it, not giving his singing the usual energy and passion he usually gives himself. It was a song Amelia liked to listen to, when she wanted to relax a bit from stress at home.

He really did miss her... 

Keith suddenly bumped into Pico, quickly apologizing for not paying attention, but noticed that Pico was looking at a rugged old shop. “We’re here. C’mon.” Pico pulled Keith next to him, walking inside with his hand around Keith’s arm. Not enough to hurt him, but firm enough to keep the human close to him.

The store didn’t seem like much, the only thing occupying the few shelves they had were posters and flyers for random items and other places to go to. There was only one customer around, occupied with a poster near the entrance of the store, and someone else behind the counter had an oversized hoodie on, messing around with a couple of random cards. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be tarot cards. .. maybe he shouldn't have been peeking so close.

“Heeey, long time no see, Pico!” The person had their face completely hidden by the large hoodie, but their pearly white grin was visible as day, making Keith feel more uneasy. “You made me think you found another supplier for your shit! Don’t leave me like that again, man, you’re my favorite customer~”

“Can it, you only like me ‘cause you’re able to do your creepy ass trades and gamble nights with the other fuckers.” Pico sounded harsh in his tone, but his expression said otherwise, grinning like he was talking to an old buddy. Keith NEVER saw Pico smile like that, he was convinced Pico was cursed with a resting bitch face. “I was busy, didn’t need to come back until now..”

The cloaked person hummed, tilting their head to look at Keith, who flinched at the stare. “A new face, huh? And a clean one at that!” Clean..? “I can’t pick up a scent.. Guess you got yourself in one bitch of a spot, huh?”

“Exactly, so let’s cut to the chase.” Pico flapped one of his wings a bit before stretching it over the counter. “Take however much you need, for five cases.”

They whistled at the unclear offer and rubbed their hands together, starting to glow and reached over to carefully stroke the discolored feathers. Keith didn’t understand what was going on at first, but then flinched again when they plucked a random feather out. “Pico..! What are you doing??” Keith loudly whispered, somehow feeling a bit of pain every time a feather was carefully plucked. 

Pico didn’t even budge or wince in any kind of pain when they took feathers, until he looked over to Keith, giving the impression that he forgot Keith was there at all. “That last attack used up a lot of my ammo, I need a bigger supply. This guy’s my dealer.” He shrugged, taking his wings back when the other got a nice handful of feathers, carefully placing them in a box before going to the backroom. “Out here, we don’t care about money. Don’t need it.”

“Wait, so.. Are they-”

“A demon. Everyone here is.” Both of them glanced over at the other customer, who tilted her head in their direction for only a moment before focusing back at the paper in her hand. Even though they only saw the back of her, she didn’t seem like a demon at all.. Unlike this other guy. “That’s why you gotta stay close to me. The only reason we’re not raising suspicion is ‘cause I’m having my scent cover you as much as possible.”

“I see.. Thanks for telling me all this _now_.” Keith retorted sarcastically, only getting an eye roll in response. “Still.. Why give up your feathers for some bullets? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It’s the same principle of plucking your hair; it grows back eventually. And these bullets are special. I need ‘em if we’re gonna get rid of any of that bitch’s goons. It’s well worth the trade.” Pico pulled his wings back into his back, rubbing his shoulder at the slight pinch.

“Blest Bullets!” the cloaked demon came back with pride in their yell, placing a small yet hefty crate onto the desk. “Your normal human bullets won’t do shit to some demons, unless they’re allergic to iron! But these bad boys were specially extracted from the holy power that ex-angels had, which is whatever demon is weak too. Don’t matter where they get shot, the demon goes _splat_ from one bullet alone~” They seemed to proud of their explanation, opening the box to show Pico their end of the bargain. “Threw an extra case in there, just for you. You seemed in especially good condition today, I like it! Thanks for that~” they grinned at Keith, Keith taking a step back in response. 

“Um, but.. Aren’t you a demon too? Why would you sell this kinda thing?” Keith questioned, getting a hearty laugh in return.

“Humans sell guns to other humans all the time, even when they kill their own kind with them.” Dull purple eyes peeked from under the hood, the grin never leaving his view. “I’m just tryna make a living here. As long as I’m not the one getting shot, who gives a shit?”

That reason didn’t really calm Keith’s nerves, but it was understandable, in a way. Pico took the box and carried it under his arm, nodding to the other. “Take it easy, boss. Win me something good next time you’re gaming, you promised me before.” 

“You took too long to get back!” they laughed it off, waving each other off as they left, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before going down the street. It felt more of a place for ghosts than it did for demon refugees, which was somewhat of a relief for Keith, since he’s been actually ATTACKED by demons, and hasn’t seen a single ghost ever.

“Back before you took me in, I practically lived here.” Pico spoke up out of nowhere, grabbing Keith’s attention in an instant. “I wasn’t really close with anyone except Boss. That’s just what I call ‘em, they never told me their name or showed their face.There’s some random thugs here and there, but it’s pretty quiet otherwise.” Pico weakly smiled for a moment, but he sighed and it disappeared just like that. “It’s only ‘cause humans don’t come here. They know this is a demonic slum, so they keep out. The only humans dumb enough to come here are bratty kids that dared each other to come. I remember scaring the shit out of a group once, it was hilarious.”

“Huh.. I did wonder how you managed before. Seems bearable.”

“Doesn’t compare to your place.”

“Yeah, I know..”

“.....”

Pico stopped again, his small wing twitched a bit. Keith raised an eyebrow, touching the demon’s arm in concern. “Pico? You ok?” Pico didn’t respond verbally, but seeing him slowly reach down to grab his gun from his holster was more than enough to answer Keith’s worries. He too kept completely still, trying to hear whatever kind of movement he could to help him find out where the possible danger was, but not only were his senses not as sharp as Pico’s, but his heart was already beating like crazy. 

It was soon, too soon..

In an instant, Pico whipped his gun out and shot behind them, Keith shutting his eyes tight as if the darkness would protect him. He didn’t hear any kind of scream or blood splatter, which honestly made him panic even more. Did Pico miss? Then where was--

_“Boo♡"_

Keith’s eyes shot open, staring eye to eye with sharp pale golden eyes. Before he could stop himself, he screamed and clung to Pico, who quickly pointed his gun at the.. Wait, she was floating! Floating and upside down! He shot without a seconds thought, but she disappeared in an instant, reappearing directly above them. 

“Relax, relax! You JUST bought those bullets, right??” She waved her hands at them, still having the gun pointed at her as Pico wrapped his wings around Keith. “Before you shoot, just know that it’s not gonna kill me even if it hits me. I’m a SPECIAL case~”

“Special or not, you better back the fuck up, before I beat you down until you DO die!” Pico growled, keeping his gun pointed at the floating girl as she swayed from side to side around them. She wasn’t kidding about being some kind of special case, since she didn’t seem to have wings like Amelia or Pico. Rather, it seemed like her SCARF was keeping her afloat.

Save for the pale skin, she really did look like a regular human..

“Wait, you..” Keith hesitated, gripping onto Pico’s shirt to stabilize himself. “You were in the store we were in, right? Why’d you follow us..?”

“Heh, so you guys WERE staring at me.” She mused, slowly floating down in front of them, sitting with her legs crossed while still in the air. “Sorry if I seem a lil creepy, but I heard that your name was Pico, right? The ‘Fallen Angel’ that already got themselves on the radar for killing a big boss’ goons.” Pico flinched, tempted to pull the trigger once more. When no shot was fired, she turned her attention towards Keith, her cat-like eyes smiling. “So that must make you Keith, the human boy that got caught up in demon shenanigans without actually forming a contract! What a unique case you are~”

Both of them were stunned beyond belief, Keith struggling to keep himself up with his shaky legs. “How.. How do you know my name?? That literally just happened last night! There’s no way you could know all that!” Keith yelled at her, demanding some kind of explanation as to how she knew all this, but all she did was smile, two especially sharp fangs peeking from her lips.

She took out the paper she was looking at earlier, flipping it open and holding it close to their faces.

**Dead or Alive, Hunt this Human and Fake Demon, Reward of Your Choice**

_“Congrats, you two! You guys are the next biggest bounties yet♡”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys approve the idea of me adding my oc, now I get to be a little shit to the duo
> 
> Well not really, but now I'm super excited! Expect another chapter tonight!
> 
> She'll be better described in the next chapter, but I only have 2 proper refs of how she looks on my twitter, which are right here!: https://twitter.com/SHSLPUNKARTIST/status/1368714618349162497?s=20  
> https://twitter.com/SHSLPUNKARTIST/status/1216082994391404545?s=20
> 
> No this is not me shamelessly plugging my art twitter in this chapter, I just finally did art, soooo I meaaaan  
> Ye


	9. Chapter 9

“What.. What do you mean, _bounties?!”_ Pico charged at her in one swift dash, snatching the paper away and reading it again and again to make sure it was legit. Keith was quick to join him, his heart stopping from getting a proper look at the picture of them. 

There was no mistaking it. They weren’t just being targeted by Amelia’s parents’ goons. 

Pico immediately ripped up the poster and grabbed at the girl’s jacket, jabbing his gun right at her skull (or at least tried to, but she was quick to block it with her hand). “So that’s why you followed us, is that it?! Tryna get some ‘easy’ cash?!” 

She sighed in disappointment before kicking him off with way more strength than he expected, floating a bit further away to at least keep some kind of safe distance. “Now why did you have to rip it up? The reward isn’t cash specifically. It’s whatever the winner wants,” She smirked, licking her lips that sent a chill down Keith’s spine, “and we all know demons don’t want no damn cash~. I could easily imagine whatever else I could get if I turn you boys in! Such as..” she paused, a finger to her chin as she appeared lost in a hopeful daydream.

The area was too quiet, any of them could hear a pin drop a mile away.

“... eh, nevermind. I can’t think of nothin’.”

“Huh??”

She immediately laughed at their confusion, flying closer to the duo once more, ignoring Pico’s pistol directed at her head. “Hunting for bounties can be fun, but what’s the point of hunting some thugs down to get such a lackluster reward? Besides, it just sounds like I would have to make a contract of my own if I were to get whatever I wanted, and that’s even more work that I don’t wanna deal with.”

Neither of them had any reason to believe her, Pico not letting his guard down even a smudge as she rambled, but Keith, well.. It was probably out of pure desperation for some kind of hope that he took a small step towards her, his grip on Pico’s hand tight. “So.. you’re not gonna take us in? You serious about this?”

She looked down at Keith with a hint of surprise on her face, then smiled a believable genuine smile this time. “You really wanna believe in people, don’t you?” Lowering herself to the ground, she held her hands up as if she was surrendering, and bowed her head. “My name’s Naomi, and I think I know of a way to get you out of this mess, if you decide to trust me.”

Keith smiled and almost reached out to accept the offer, but Pico was quick to pull him back to reality, tugging him away from Naomi and flying to a small alleyway. “We can’t trust her, Keith, don’t even try it.” Pico hissed, “We’re on our own in this shit. Demons can’t be trusted at all! She said EXACTLY what we would want to hear, just so that we can let our guards down and BOOM. Dead!” 

“I-I know! I know, but..” Keith glanced over to Naomi, who straightened up in her stance, but didn’t lower her hands or move from her spot. “Ok, just hear me out. She said earlier that your bullets would do nothing to her, right?” Pico tsk-ed at that. “If that’s true, wouldn’t she have done something by now, if she wanted to take us in? She’s clearly fast enough to catch up to your moves, and she doesn’t have to keep us alive, so..” 

“.. You really wanna fuckin’ trust another demon bitch?”

“.....” Keith sheepishly smiled, only able to shrug to defend his case. “I mean.. What have we got to lose at this point? Besides, I trust you to at least get us to safety if she DOES try anything.” Keith paused, realizing he might be putting too much pressure on Pico. “Unless you really think it’s not worth the risk, um.. Sorry, I’m being very stupid, I know, but-”

“Extremely stupid.” Keith flinched at Pico’s blunt words, afraid if Pico was angry when the ginger snatched his hand into his own. “.. ‘m just as stupid as you, for falling for your damn words.” 

Keith’s lit up as they walked back to Naomi, who perked up but still didn’t move from her spot. He squeezed Pico’s hand and whispered, “thanks..” before taking his own step closer to her, a bit more confidence in his step. “If you’re lying to us, we won’t hesitate to fight back, understand?” Keith made himself clear that they were willing to hear her plan out, but were ready to defend themselves if she chose to betray them.

Naomi’s eyes shined as she flew right back up, her scarf wagging like a mischievous fox. “Oooo, this is gonna be WAY more fun than bringing you guys in~! Follow me!”

\-----------------

Of all the things to expect, a field trip through the slums wasn’t one of them.

Pico may have taken refuge in this place multiple times, but it wasn’t like he knew the area like the back of his hand. He wasn’t ever here to “sight see” anyway. Why they were going so deep into the slums, neither of them knew. “So nobody could eavesdrop.” Naomi plainly answered, but Pico didn’t buy it.

He didn’t trust this bitch for a second.

Keith, however, almost acted as if Naomi was a new friend he met at a party, talking and learning more about the floating demon. Or monster. “Ugh, stop calling me a demon already! Do I LOOK like your average demon?” Naomi held her arms out as if to present herself as proof. “There are other monsters that exist in this world, y’know! Look reaaaal hard, and you’ll know EXACTLY what I am.” She opened her mouth wide, exposing 4 especially sharp fangs close to Keith’s face.

“Wait.. a vampir-ER!!” Keith yelped when Naomi suddenly chomped the air, his face turning bright red as she cackled at his reaction.

They were having too much fun.

“Are we there yet?? This isn’t the time for fuckin’ games!” Pico growled at them, Naomi pouting and turning away, continuing her pathing ahead. Keith’s guilty expression served as an apology, but Pico was really not in the mood. 

“Relax, we’re here. My lil hideout~” Naomi pointed ahead to a building that, well.. Was quite literally destroyed. The roof had collapsed on itself at one side, the door and windows were broken, everything about it screamed “DANGER”. “We’ll be safe here, I promise.” Naomi floated ahead without any regard, but stopped once she realized neither Keith nor Pico weren’t following. “... oh, come ON! You wouldn’t be any safer if you went into a bullet-proof building!”

“You’re fuckin’ insane if you think I’m lettin’ Keith in there with you.” Pico snapped, using his wing to shield Keith from a non-existing attack. 

“Pico..!” Keith stammered, his mind wanting to trust her, but his body instinctively staying by Pico. It definitely looked suspicious as hell, but if he wasn’t even safe at his own home.. “It’ll be ok, we can trust her, right?” he leaned closer to the other, subtly pointing at the whole in the roof. “We’ll immediately fly out there if she tries anything, ok?”

Pico grumbled, but once again, he gave in to Keith’s words and lowered his wing, letting the other jog over to the vampire. Keith was too damn trusting, it made things all the more difficult. Pico tried to force himself to ease up just a bit, but his wings instinctively flared out when he saw Naomi reach out to hold Keith’s hand and lead him into the building. “Hey, don’t touch hi--!!”

_**ZZT!** _

A sharp shock of pain shot through Pico’s body, forcing him to jump back. There wasn’t any sort of surprise attack, but when he tried to get closer to the building again, he could faintly see some sort of electricity become more visible, ready to zap him again. His eyes widened as he looked at Naomi and Keith, Keith looking back confused, Naomi expression dark.

“I’m really gonna need you to trust me.”

Before the boys could react, Naomi snatched Keith up in her arms and flew deeper into the building, his cry fading as quickly as it came. “KEITH!!” Pico screamed, punching at the electric field with his gun, trying to force himself through, but ultimately just burning his hand and making his body tremble from the shocks. He knew it. He knew she would trick them! She knew magic somehow, and this was to keep Keith’s protection away! “YOU FUCKIN’ BITCH!!” Pico’s anger grew into power, ready to strike again at the forcefield..

“There he is! The Fallen Angel!!” 

Voices called out behind Pico, and he only had a second to react to a bullet getting shot at him from behind, which grazed the end of his wing. He turned to see a small mob of demons rushing towards him, weapons in hand, crazy and hungry expressions written on their faces. “God fuckin’.. Why now?! Can’t you see I’m BUSY?!!” Pico’s eyes turned red in rage, charging right back at them with fury that HAD to be released.

\------

“LET ME GO! PICO!” Keith punched and kicked at Naomi’s body, desperately trying and failing to escape her iron grip as they flew further and further away from the exit. It wasn’t long until she eventually let go, Keith landing on his ass with a pained “Ghk!” sound. “Y-You asshole.. You _did_ trick us! I can’t believe I--”

“Red velvet.”

“.. what??”

“That’s the cupcake you would order every time you went to that coffee shop.” Naomi spoke so bluntly yet so casually at the same time, her legs crossed while still floating above him. “You also used to get a strawberry lemonade, but started to try mochas because they tasted the least like coffee.” she continued, ignoring his bewildered expression by rubbing her own scarf. “It's mainly because _she_ likes mochas as well, and you really wanted to connect with her more.”

She was talking about Amelia. Amelia and her job. Was she a stalker..? Keith tried to think about all the times he would visit her, but Naomi’s appearance was too.. Out there. He would’ve noticed her at SOME point! “H-How..” his words got caught in his throat, and his mind only froze once she finally looked at him directly.

“Amelia’s my friend. She talks about you a lot.” She answered before he could ask. “And she really wants you back, so I’m gonna help you. Seeing her cry is the worst thing ever.” She couldn’t even pretend to smile there. If anything, she looked far too grimace, thinking back to her apparent friend’s tears.

“W-Wait, Ami..? You know her??” Keith quickly stood back up, forcibly grabbing Naomi’s hands in panic. “Why didn't you say anything before?! Where is she?? Is she ok??”

Naomi flinched, eyes narrowed as her hands gripped into fists. “If you don’t know anything about her, then I had a good reason not to say anything before.” She seemed to hint at Pico, but shook her head and decided to keep it to herself. “Listen. She’s looking all over for you, even though she knows it’s only gonna get you AND herself into bigger trouble. She doesn’t care. All she wants to do is be with you, and to protect you.

“But she’s doing it all wrong. She thinks the only way to keep you safe is by forcing you to make a contract. Can’t say I blame her though, since her stuck-up parents probably didn’t teach her the alternative on purpose.” Naomi shook her right hand a bit, signalling that she wanted it free from Keith’s grip, and lifted up her fingerless glove to expose some sort of mark on her palm. “Contracts are made when a human wants something and has to give up something precious for the demon to fulfill their desires. But there’s ANOTHER type of contract that humans and demons can make with each other, something that grants a demon power and a human protection. It’s called a Bond.”

“Bond..?” Keith never heard of such a thing before. He was only ever taught about contracts from his old history class and online. Not even Amelia or Pico told him about that before. “Are you making this up? I’ve never heard of that!” 

“Guess that’s intentional, too.” The vampire sighed in disappointment. “Bonds are never explained because it’s frowned upon by both humans AND demons. Humans don’t want others to form some kind of pact with a demon, and demons are shamed for working with a human that isn’t some kind of cruel deal. It’s beneath them. You’re lucky to find a demon that even knows what a Bond is nowadays.” 

Keith didn’t respond back, unsure whether to take whatever she says with a grain of salt, but she had none of her playfulness like before. Quite frankly, her seriousness was almost unnerving. “.. what is it, then? And how is that gonna help me and Ami?”

Good, at least Naomi got him interested. “A Bond is when a human and demon form a spiritual connection together through magic. Unlike contracts, where you have to give up an arm or something for a one time deal, you both are bound together until one of you dies. The human gains some magic through the demon, and the demon becomes WAY stronger through the human’s spirit. The more compatible you two are, the stronger and more versatile you both become. Make sense?” Naomi could tell Keith was still as confused as ever, so she didn’t even bother waiting for a verbal response. “Basically, if you make a bond with Amelia, you BOTH will get stronger, and you guys can fight back to whatever shit demons come after you. Sounds good, no?”

A bond with Amelia.. He would be able to see her again if he went along with this. If Naomi was legit, he could even defend himself better with her as well! It sounded better than having to make a contract, relationship-wise anyway, but.. It still doesn't sound like the current problems would just up and disappear. “I.. I want to see Ami again.” He finally spoke, gripping tightly onto the bottom of his shirt. “But she would have to fight other demons too, for my sake. Not to mention Pico.. he would hate if I made a bond with her and not him, if he were to go along with it.”

“So make a bond with both. It’s possible.” Naomi answered so casually as she tapped on the back of her leg, exposing another faded mark. Clearly she’s had experience. “But it can be risky. Active bonds use up energy and even life force, so either your life span will steadily end faster, or..” She leaned in and exposed her fangs again. “You’ll end up becoming a monster of your own.”

“This sounds so fuckin’ crazy..” Keith gulped, a headache forming from trying to weigh out the choices before him. “I wouldn’t want Ami to get hurt more because of me, and Pico is already fighting for my sake, but wouldn’t he be put in more danger if we make a bond? Would they even want to form one with me..?”

“...wait. They’re your ONLY concern??” Naomi stared in utter confusion. “I just said you might die faster or become a friggin’ monster, yet your biggest worry is if THEY’LL be ok??”

“What’s so wrong about that?? I ALREADY might die faster because of the bounty!” Keith retorted, as if this wasn’t already basic knowledge. “Of course I care about them more than making my situation worse, because it CAN’T get any worse! I just want to be with Ami again, as well as keep Pico safe for helping me for so long! If a bond can give me enough power to protect them, then I want to do it!”

Naomi almost dropped from her lack of concentration on herself, his selflessness making him seem SO brave yet SO stupid. “The bond is supposed to have _them_ protect _you_ , moron..” she mumbled under her breath, but she still smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair. “But I can tell what decision you wanna make, so how about this? You try and convince your bodyguard into forming a bond, and I’ll get Amelia so you guys can discuss it together. Deal?”

Keith softly hit her hands away, but smiled as well and nodded. Finally, he can talk to Ami again.. But Pico.. his smile quickly disappeared, looking back at the direction of the exit. “Wait, he’s left out there! How did you make that barrier thing, and why?!”

“Wow, bit late there, aren’t ya?” She grinned, but Keith was glaring daggers at her, making her cower a bit in her flight. “Ugh.. the barrier wasn’t supposed to keep just him out. It’s to keep all outside demons away. That’s something a bond could do.” She tapped her hand again. “I’m sure he was gonna throw a hissy fit about it, but you guys are being hunted down. There’s no doubt there could be other demons that tried to get their reward.” She stared down at her hand, her expression turning serious once more. 

“Which is exactly what it felt like.. Let’s go.”

It barely took a minute for Naomi and Keith to fly back outside, and true to her suspicions, the floor was covered with demon bodies, some limbs ripped or blown off completely. Only one demon stood victorious above them, panting from their fit of rage. 

Keith didn’t even have to see the front of Pico to know that his demon form had grown more..

“Pico..!” Keith called out, not thinking twice running outside the barrier and to Pico. the demon quickly turned to Keith and slammed him into the ground, Keith’s head banging and ringing against the bloody floor. “OW!! P-Pico, calm down! We gotta tal-!” Keith couldn’t finish, Pico’s claws practically ripping his clothes as he checked to see if there were any hidden wounds or new marks on him. His face turned beet red as he punched Pico’s head, trying to shove the other off.

“Oh my!” Naomi called out loudly, grabbing Pico’s attention. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a concerned boyfriend checking on his baby--!!” 

Pico charged at her like a metal to magnet, causing the barrier to rumble and almost shatter right then and there. His pupils were completely gone in a sea of red, and his teeth looked ready to maul her face off. Her usual confidence almost melted away from such intensity, her hand behind her leg as if she was ready to call for help if he actually managed to break her barrier.

“Pico.” Keith’s voice called out, now behind Pico as he recollected himself. “We need to talk. Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'm not active in writing, I'm active in drawing. That's my jist apparently.
> 
> But not to worry! I'm treating Sunday as a fic update day, so I plan on getting a request or two done, as well as another chapter for this. Sorry if this one felt a little info dumping, but I'm sure emotions will come in later! 
> 
> Thanks so much once again for your patience and support!


	10. Chapter 10

“So.. have you calmed down for good, Pico?” 

10 minutes had to pass before Pico’s full demonic form finally began to weaken, forcing Naomi to stay behind the barrier for safety. Keith could only hum and stroke Pico’s hair (as suggested by Naomi) and wait for the demon to relax before any kind of conversation could happen. He could hear Pico mumble things under his breath, but it was hard to hear or even understand what he was saying. It didn’t even sound like human speech..

He was trembling a lot, his grip on Keith uncomfortably tight, but the shorter male didn’t push him back. It was something Pico did every once in a while even before this whole situation, though he wasn’t too sure why.

Pico didn't speak, only looking up with his eyes back to normal. He looked exhausted as hell. “Pico..” Keith sighed and gave him a tight hug, massaging the other’s scalp out of comfort. “I’m sorry I left you out here by yourself.. But we have a plan now. I just need your cooperation, ok?” he smiled, but it didn’t do Pico any good.

“I’ll leave you guys be for now, let you guys talk things out privately. Here.” Naomi floated closer, but when Pico’s wings flared out defensively, she stopped and decided to place some sort of stone down. “Throw it at the ground when you’re too damaged to fight, and I’ll be there like a lightning strike. That’s just another benefit to what you can do, Keith~” Naomi winked and waved Keith off before darting up into the air, slight static escaping her body and disappearing into the air. She was even faster than Amelia..

It wasn’t until Naomi was out of sight that Pico finally let Keith go, going directly towards the stone left behind, but Keith was just fast enough to swipe it from the other and hold it to his chest. “You’re not breaking this, Pico. Hear me out.” Keith held his hand out as if that would stop the demon, but he only continued walking forward, forcing Keith against a wall on another broken building. 

“See what happens when you trust these monsters?” Pico’s voice sounded hoarse, adding more to Keith’s current guilt. “We woulda been elsewhere by now if we didn’t follow her. She snatched you away, she coulda fuckin’ eaten you alive in there..”

“But she didn’t! See?” Keith held his arms out, showing off his neck and chest to show no new wounds. “I hate that she forced you out, but she said that was to keep other demons out as well! Look, what could’ve happened doesn’t matter right now, I have a plan I need to talk to you about, so..” Keith reached out to cup Pico’s cheeks, feeling the other flinch. “Listen to me, ok..?”

Again, Pico didn’t verbally respond. He knew this wasn’t Keith’s plan alone, so already he knew he was going to hate it, but he was weak to the human’s words once more. He sighed and sat down on the ground, looking up at the other with tired yet attentive eyes. 

Keith explained to Pico about what Naomi told him about Bonds. How it was a different type of pact between demons and humans, and how both parties will gain power if they were compatible. “She says it’d be pretty risky if I tried to form a bond with you and Ami, but..” Keith smiled, his expression filled a bit with hopefulness, “if it works, we can protect each other from the other demons! I’d be able to protect you guys as well, so we wouldn’t be in danger anymore!”

“... do you hafta form a bond with both of us?’

“Huh..?”

Pico stood back up, using his wings to cover Keith’s view of their surroundings, completely towering over him. “If that bitch isn’t lying, then isn’t forming a bond with just me enough? What’s the point of gettin’ yourself in more danger if you make more than one bond? There’s no point in protection if you’re just gonna die just as fast..” Pico’s aura started to suffocate the area around them, Keith’s body instinctively backing away, but couldn’t because of the cold wall already pressed against his back. 

“But.. But I want to form a bond with the both of you!” Keith tried to sound strong, but his fear got the best of him, making his voice squeak a bit. “I don’t care if things get worse for me if I’m able to be with the both of you!”

“We don’t need her to be stronger. Just you and me should be fine, so who fuckin’ cares about her??”

“I do! This isn’t about getting stronger--”

“IT IS!!” Pico suddenly roared, slamming his fist on the wall, adding another crack to the existing damage. “We need strength to keep you safe! If you make a bond with the both of us, that just erases the whole point of this shit! You don’t need her, you only need me!” 

Keith’s legs almost gave out from the actual terror he was experiencing right now, clutching onto his ears to try and dull down Pico’s booming voice. “I-I..” he stuttered, eyes squeezed shut, “I want to be with her, Pico.. I love her, that’s just not gonna change--NN!!”

Because Keith couldn’t see Pico, he wasn’t ready to feel claws scraping against his back and a sudden bite on his shoulder from the other. His eyes shot open and he immediately tried to push Pico back, but the demon was much stronger than he was, so the grip only got tighter. Pico bit hard enough that blood started to trickle down, making Keith whimper from the stinging sensation, until he felt his tongue lap at the new mark. Keith’s legs officially gave out, but Pico was able to keep him up with his own leg, which only made the other squirm and whimper even more. “P-Pico, stop it, I-I don’t..”

“Just focus on me.” Pico growled, pressing himself more against the other and roughly sucking on the other’s neck. “Don’t think about her anymore. Just me. Just think about us..”

_”Focus on you! Focus on us!”_

Amelia’s words rang in his head, which only made his brain swirl in panic and confusion even more. Pico had to have felt Keith’s heart beating right out of his chest and his body heat steadily increasing, but that only pushed him to go further, his clawed fingers traveling lower to the other’s hips. Letting go of Keith’s neck to reveal a different kind of mark, he turned his attention to Keith’s face, which was flushed and sweaty from the sudden sensual attention. He lifted Keith’s chin bit and leaned closer, going straight for Keith’s panting gaped mouth..

Keith quickly covered Pico’s mouth with his hands, shaking his head to deny it because his voice just couldn’t speak without whining. Pico’s eyes darkened as he grabbed Keith’s wrist, starting to lick at the other’s trembling fingers, slipping one finger into his mouth to suck on. Keith didn’t know what to do, his head getting dizzy from the lack of space and the feelings Pico was forcing onto him. 

Why was he doing this?

Why did he only want Keith to focus on him so badly? 

Should he just give in..?

“P-Pico..” His voice finally trembled out, tears starting to form and slip down his cheeks. “You’re scaring me.. Stop, please..”

Pico froze, staring at the human that became a fragile shaky mess under him.. Then suddenly dropped him, jumping back like an animal just shot at. Keith landed harshly on the ground, but the thud hardly mattered, since he just curled himself into a ball and struggled to get his breathing in order again. Pico gritted his teeth and punched his own head as hard as he could, cursing at himself with the language Keith couldn’t understand. 

What the fuck was wrong with him?! Why did he let himself get this way?! Why did he make Keith cry..?

Neither of them moved, both of them struggling to get their own acts together. Even with them apart, the air still felt too heavy to breathe in…

\--------

Why did Pico have to be the only one Keith could go to when he was troubled?

Had they been back in the city, Pico would’ve left Keith behind and made sure he could go back to his friends or family for support. But he couldn’t do that, not here. Keith had no one else to go to, not even to her..

So even after Pico probably traumatized him, Keith still crawled back to the demon and hugged him, apologizing like it was all his fault.

Pico wanted to shoot himself in the brain over and over again.

“Please don’t make me pick..” Keith’s voice wavered, his face buried in Pico’s chest. “I care about you both, no matter what.. I don’t want to be with one and lose the other.. I’m a selfish, useless, weak asshole, but please..”

Pico wanted to hold him close, but he didn’t trust himself. Not anymore. He told himself again and again not to get close to him. It wasn’t worth it. Keith wouldn’t feel the same way. And yet, he did. And still, Keith wanted to be with him.

“... ok..” Pico gave up, hands shaking above Keith because he still REALLY BADLY wanted to hold the other. Keith looked up and forced a smile, wrapping his arms around Pico’s neck and holding him in a warm embrace.

_Do it for him.. Even if he was just doing this to be with someone else.._

This alone is fine.

“Ok.. ok..” Keith finally let go (or let go too soon, who knows) and took deep breaths, adjusting his hoodie to cover up the still fresh bite mark. “Naomi said she’s going to get Ami, and then we can talk about this with her. .. is that ok?”

No.

“Yeah.. if it makes you happy, then fine..” Pico mumbled, not quite making eye contact with the other. “You really are ok with this, though? You might turn into a monster like us, or..”

“I made up my mind. It’s fine.” Keith looked around at the dead demons around them, who already started to deteriorate and turn to dust. They decomposed so much faster than humans.. “I’m not gonna live a normal life anymore if I’m with you guys, so I rather make the most of it. I miss Ami, and you..” he softly touched his hickey, tensing up at the bruise, “You’re my friend that’s protected me this long, so.. I think it’s worth it, heh..”

Pico forced himself to keep quiet, only nodding at the other’s resolve. “So.. we wait for them?”

“Guess so..” Keith was ignorant to the heavy air around them, so he gave Pico another squeeze and patted his head. “Let’s get something to eat, then rest up. Ok?” Maybe he should have acknowledged what just happened, but it felt too soon. He wanted to ignore it, focus on bigger matters. “Today was super exhausting, I’m hungry for a burger and a power nap!”

“Yeah..” Pico couldn’t force out enthusiasm like Keith could, but he too wanted to get out of this place. He stood up and flapped his wings once, hesitating, but evidently held his arms out for Keith. The smaller male smiled and climbed into his arms, making sure he had a strong hold before Pico flew off into the muggy sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pico, your need for love and attention from your crush is showing, keep that shit to yourself
> 
> God it's painful though, poor everyone. Everyone putting Keith over themselves, Keith putting everyone over himself, it's a mess. And I'm making it. And I love it~


End file.
